


Baby Doll

by TheLawyersKeeper



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Endearments, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 08:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15968222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLawyersKeeper/pseuds/TheLawyersKeeper
Summary: The five times Bucky called Steve "baby doll" and the one time that Steve did.





	Baby Doll

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone had read my other works, you will know how much I adore the term "baby doll" especially with Steve and Bucky. So I mainly did this so support my addiction of that :)

1.

The first time Bucky calls Steve “baby doll”, they’re stumbling home from the train station at three in the morning. They’d had to ride back from Coney Island in the back of a truck because Bucky’d blown all their money trying to win a stupid prize for that girl Dot. Steve is exhausted and cold and pissed off because he refuses to admit he’s jealous of some girl whose name is _Dot_. Bucky’s had the good sense to keep his mouth shut, whole body radiating guilt as they started the long trek home. He’s barely shuffling along, legs like lead, when he catches some uneven pavement and goes lurching forward.

He’s resigned himself to another broken nose when two strong arms snatch him around the waist, suspending him in the air before helping him right himself, murmuring softly

“Easy baby doll” the words slide out of his mouth so softly, at first Steve is convinced he misheard, but as Bucky smirks and walks away Steve realizes that he hadn’t misheard the endearment at all. Bucky slowly crouches to one knee in front of Steve and coaxes him with his hands behind his back.

“Hop up punk, no one’s around. Can’t have you breakin’ yer face” Steve rolls his eyes and glances around at the dark street before reluctantly accepting the peace offering. The warmth of Bucky’s back, the gentle motion of the walking and the coolness of the summer night begin to lure Steve towards sleep.

“Still mad at you jerk” he mumbles, slurring his words as he fights to keep his eyes open. Bucky pinches his leg gently and Steve can hear him breathe a laugh.

“I know you are” that’s the last thing Steve hears before he falls asleep, Bucky’s heartbeat thudding strong against his ear.

* * *

 

2.

The second time Bucky calls Steve “baby doll”, Steve’s 99% sure he wasn’t supposed to hear it. He’s sick, again. But it’s worse than normal and Dr. Jansen doesn’t think he’s going to pull through and advised Bucky to run for the priest. Bucky had flown into a fury and demanded he go get him instead, that he wasn’t leaving Steve’s side. The doctor had trudged back out into the New York winter and Bucky had returned to his spot keeping vigil beside Steve’s bed.

“Hey Stevie, doc says you ain’t lookin’ so hot, gotta pull yourself together like the stubborn ass you are and set him straight.” Bucky sniffed and through his delirium Steve could tell he was crying, he turned his head and looked at Bucky with glassy eyes.

“B-Buck?” Bucky wiped his eyes and stroked Steve’s sweaty hair back.

“Yeah pal, I’m here, s’gunna be okay” Steve smiled and Bucky laughed wetly.

“You’re scarin’ me Rogers, get your shit together year” Steve smiled and gently grabbed his hand

“M’gunna be okay Buck, I think the worst is over” Bucky’s whole body deflated in relief and he nodded.

“Okay, yeah Stevie, sounds great” Steve smiled

“M’gunna sleep a lil’more, wake me up in a few hours?” Bucky nodded and Steve gave his hand one more lethargic squeeze. “You’ll stay right?”

Steve’s eyes were already closed when Bucky pulled himself together to answer.

“Yeah, yeah baby doll, I’ll never leave you”

Steve can confirm that Bucky absolutely did _not_ stick his tongue out when the Doctor arrived three hours later with the priest only to find him sitting up in bed, fever broken and breathing easier.

* * *

 

3.

The third time Bucky calls him “baby doll”, there’s no way around it. He’s patching Steve up, but he’s mad, and Steve got knocked down to quick to get his angry out and he’s ready for a fight.

“Dammit Steve, why couldn’t you just leave it alone!?”

“You didn’t need to get involved!”

“The Hell I didn’t, he’d have killed you if I didn’t show up!” Steve growled and advanced on him angrily

“I don’t need you okay! If it’s such a burden looking after me why don’t you just go run off with some dame!? Then we’d both be better off!” Steve hasn’t fully realized what he’s said until he watches Bucky physically recoil away like he’s been slapped. Steve makes an aborted movement forward and halts at the tears in Bucky’s eyes.

“Bucky-“

“Is that what you want? Want me to go? I’ll pack up right now if that’s what you want!” Bucky’s eyes are on fire and Steve can feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest as Bucky throws the gauntlet down.

“No, God no of course not Buck-“ he reaches forward again and Bucky takes another step back. He shakes his head and blinks as one rogue tear makes it’s way down his cheek and Steve’s heart breaks a little at the sight.

“Ya just don’t get it? Do you baby doll?” Steve’s breath catches in his throat as Bucky slowly crowds him against the counter, biting his lip as he looked into the taller man’s eyes.

“I’m in love with you” Steve barely has time to react before Bucky is pressing their lips together, clinging to him desperately as Steve pushes right back, the tight feeling always in his chest suddenly letting go in a sound that had a 50/50 chance of being a laugh or a sob. He can’t tell if the salt his from his tears or Bucky’s but Bucky isn’t letting go and he sure as shit isn’t either.

“I’m in love with you too”.

* * *

 

4.

The fourth time Bucky says it, Steve wishes to God he hadn’t. They’re sitting at the bar in London, and Bucky’s just agreed to join the Howling Commandos. Steve doesn’t know where they sit right now, Bucky’s still healing, and he can tell there’s more there than just what happened at Azzano. But he’s mad too, mad at Steve for running off for some crazy experiment that he didn’t know would work. He’d laid into him the night they got back, heaving as he’d asked Steve exactly what he thought Bucky would do if he fought and came home only to find out Steve had died less that twenty-four hours after he’d left in some stupid experiment because he was so desperate to be a hero. That Bucky would come home expecting to see the one person he loved and finding out he was dead, all because he had something to prove.

All of Steve’s self-righteousness had flown out the window when Bucky’d said that. When he realized that he had gambled so much more than he’d thought. Bucky’d stormed off and gotten piss drunk, Steve gently guiding him into bed and hugging him silently as he sobbed his way through the night, heart breaking with every sob.

But now Bucky was smiling at him again, it was small, but real. He was laughing and making jokes and they could make this work. They could work. Steve knocked Bucky’s shoulder with his as the bar went silent and he turned around as Peggy Carter walked into the room, looking absolutely breathtaking. Bucky tossed out an empty flirt and Steve’s recently repaired heart fractured at what it was. _I’m still here, don’t forget me_.

Peggy tossed out a comment about the right partner and left, Steve flustering and trying to figure out how to fix it when Bucky looked at him. Eyes once again empty and broken.

“Bucky-“

“S’okay baby doll, couldn’t hold onto ya forever. Was only a matter of time before everyone else saw what I could” he shot Steve a broken smile and staggered out of the bar. Leaving an air of devastation in his wake.

Steve had every intention of cornering him as soon as they got Zola. He was going to explain all of it, make Bucky see how blind he was, how absolutely gone Steve was on him.

Then Bucky fell off the train.

* * *

 

5.

The fifth time Bucky calls Steve “baby doll”, it’s technically not even Bucky. The sounds of the dance hall swirl away he looks down at himself in his dress uniform. Victory is painted all over the walls and someone yells that they can go home.

But Steve doesn’t have eyes for them. He stares unblinking as a confident brunette with his hat cocked just so waltzes up to him, hands in his pockets and a playful smile on his face.

“Bucky?” he grins brightly and winks at him

“Hey pal, don’t you dress up nice” the voice feels like home as it washes over him, and it brings Steve to his knees. Bucky crouches down in front of him and it takes Steve a minute to realize he’s crying.

“Y-you’re here. You’re alive” Bucky looks at him in confusion and gives his shoulder a gentle shake.

“Course I am Stevie, war’s over pal, we can go home. Imagine it!” Steve’s eyes light up and he staggers to his feet, pulling him in close and tugging him onto the dance floor. He pulls Bucky so they’re flush against one another, but no one seems to be noticing and nuzzles their noses, foreheads pressed against each other.

“We gunna be like this at home too?” Bucky smiles softly and Steve realizes he’s be perfectly happy to stay in this moment with Bucky forever.

Bucky frames his face in his hands and gives him a tender look

“Of course we are baby doll, nothin’s gunna change. Just you and me” Steve buckles into the embrace and clings to him tightly.

“Till the end of the line”

Steve’s eyes blink open and he looks around as Tony yells in his ear about the Hulk. If he falls to his knees in the Quinjet, it’s purely from the post adrenaline crash and not at all from the crippling grief of losing those bright eyes again.

* * *

 

+1.

The first and only time Steve calls Bucky “baby doll”, he’s not paying attention. Bucky’s having a good day, he’s spoken more than three word sentences, he’s showered and he even picked what documentary they watched on TV.

In fact, Steve would have called it the best day Bucky’s had since he came home if dinner hadn’t happened.

He’d pushed his luck, Bucky’d sat at the island with him while he cooked, set the table, and had even quietly offered to help with dishes. Steve had immediately taken him up on it and the two had been quietly bantering back and forth, Steve washing, Bucky drying.

Steve was so caught up in it, he didn’t realize how much concentration it must actually take Bucky to have his metal hand hold slippery wet glass tight enough so it won’t slip and loose enough that he won’t shatter it. So when he pokes Bucky at the wrong moment as a joke, causing the large baking dish to shatter on the kitchen floor, he very eloquently jumps into the air and yells.

“Jesus Christ!” Bucky drops to his knees to hard Steve aches, landing right in the glass as he desperately tries to clean it up, cutting his flesh hand in the process as he babbles.

“I’m sorry, m’sorry, m’sorry, m’sorry” Steve slowly kneels down next to him and tries to pull his hands away from the mess. Bucky is shaking, tears are streaming down his face and if he doesn’t get his hyperventilating under control he’s going to pass out.

“Bucky, Bucky, stop, s’okay pal” Bucky flinches away from his hands and Steve wracks his brain for a way to bring him back. He starts babbling himself, trying to keep his voice calm and wishing to God that he hadn’t left his phone on the coffee table because Sam would know what to say.

“C’mon back to me baby doll, just breathe, we’re okay” Bucky suddenly goes stone still and looks up at him with wary eyes.

“W-what?”

“We’re okay, it’s just a dish-“ Bucky shakes his head emphatically and stares at him

“No, before that, w-what did you call me?” Steve’s words come back to him with eh force of a locomotive and he desperately wants Bucky to be on the same page as he whispers gently.

“C’mon back to me baby doll” tears well up in Bucky’s eyes and he shakes his head, Steve’s heart shattering.

“That’s not right” Steve prepares himself for the emotional blow when Bucky’s next works come.

“I call you that, you call me sweetheart” Steve’s head snaps up, Bucky looks confused, but confident. Like it’s an absolute truth, he just doesn’t understand why.

“Y-yeah, you’re right Buck, I do” Bucky’s eyes cloud over briefly as a memory hits him and when he looks back at Steve his eyes are wet.

“W-were we- I mean you and me? We were in love?” Steve nodded and tears slide freely from his eyes as he watches everything click into place in Bucky’s brain.

“Yeah sweetheart we were, and I still love you very much” Bucky’s body sags and he looks at him hopefully.

“So I don’t have to pretend I don’t remember anymore? Because it’s the first thing I remembered, but that blonde lady was there and I didn’t want to-“ Steve kisses him, because this is the first time in over seventy years he’s been able to and he is so ready to just be with him again. Fuck the shield, fuck the Avengers.

Steve doesn’t realize he’s sobbing until he feels Bucky’s lips moving against his, metal hand carding through his hair tenderly.

“Shh, s’okay baby doll, I’m here, I’m here”

Steve has never loved the name more that he does now.


End file.
